“A goal without a plan is a wish.”
~ Herm Edwards
When I began my journey as Vice President of a commercial construction general contractor, I printed that quote and taped it to my office door. It stayed there for around three years.
Why? Because that simple sentence captured what we were working so hard for every day. The long hours weren’t just “busy.” They were purposeful. They were spent implementing a plan.
Goals matter, ambition matters, vision matters.
But here is the real question: Will you ever achieve your goals without a process to get there?
Goals Are Easy, the Process Is the Work.
A lot of people can say what they want:
- Grow revenue
- Improve culture
- Increase profitability
- Build a stronger team
- Create better systems
- Reduce stress and chaos
All of those are great goals.
But without a plan, without steps, timing, tools, accountability, and course correction, those goals remain what they are: wishes.
The New York-to-California Race
Here is an analogy I use often.
Imagine we are about to start an automobile race from New York to California. The goal is simple: Get to California first and win the race.
The engines are revving, the flag person raises their hand, and the flag drops…
And two very different people respond two very different ways.
Driver #1: “Just Gun It”
This person slams the gas pedal to the floor and heads west immediately. They’ll “figure it out” as they go. They are moving fast, but they’re moving fast without clarity.
They don’t know:
- What weather is coming in two days directly in their path.
- Where construction delays will choke traffic.
- What detours are ahead.
- Where they should refuel, rest, or reroute.
They are driving recklessly, not necessarily because they’re careless, but because they’re unprepared.
That creates stress, anxiety, and white-knuckle driving.
And best case? They get pulled over, hit with fines, and lose time. Worst case? Something far more serious.
Either way, it is a race filled with unknowns.
Driver #2: “Pull Over and Plan”
This person pulls over right away. They take out their phone and use tools available to them.
They:
- Check the weather for the next several days.
- Plan a route that avoids storms and slowdowns.
- Look for known detours and construction.
- Build the fastest realistic path to California.
Then they hit the road, with a plan.
This driver may even start by heading south before going west. And that’s the point:
Just because your destination is west doesn’t mean you head west out of the gate.
With a solid plan, they drive calmer, more focused, more confident, less reactive, and more in control.
Planning Reduces Stress and Increases Speed.
If I were a betting man, I would bet on the driver who planned.
Because the truth is, people wear themselves out during the race when they do not have to.
So many delays can be avoided or minimized:
- Weather can be routed around.
- Construction can be anticipated.
- Bottlenecks can be bypassed.
- Mistakes can be reduced.
- Time can be protected.
And one of the most overlooked parts of planning is this:
Get Outside Input
Traffic, construction, weather; those are unknown until you use tools and other people’s knowledge to make them known.
In business, it is no different. Sometimes the “external input” is data. Sometimes it is your leadership team. Sometimes it is a mentor. Sometimes it is a consultant who has lived through similar challenges.
Work Backwards
Here is the process I encourage:
- Set the goal. Be clear and make it measurable.
- Work backwards. What must be true for that goal to happen?
- Build the plan. Steps, milestones, timing, owners, tools.
- Seek input. Do not guess where you can verify.
- Proceed and adjust. Plans are not perfect, but they beat chaos every time.
Final Thought
Goals are powerful. But goals alone do not create results.
Remember, A goal without a plan is a wish.
Pull over, sit back, plan, then proceed.
